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Tuesday, February 25, 2014

As we bid farewell to Black History Month, and say hello to Women's History Month, what better way to recognize the contributions of Black People and Black Women more specifically than with some poetry that captures the beauty of Black People. So, sit back as Poet Jennifer Brown Banks waxes poetically about our rich heritage. Enjoy!

Sunday, February 16, 2014

Even though folks try to make us believe that Valentine’s
Day is a day of three Musketeer type of love for one and all for love day, it’s
really not. Yes, those that are single do girlfriend night, or spend that time
with their kids, but it is hands-down still a Romantic Love Holiday. Since I’m
not all booed up, it was going to be a regular Friday for me. I had a full weekend schedule of work, belly
dancing, and my nephew’s party so I didn’t have any lag time. I had to get
things done in a timely manner to stay on schedule.

I had noticed the fullness of the moon the night before. And I've always believe that there is a connection between weirdness and a full moon. So, that should have prepared me for the unexpected. But I forget and attempt to proceed in life like a "normal" person, but something always reminds me that life--especially mine--is full of unexpected twists and turns. And mine, for what ever reason always have some comical angle.

On Friday, I tried to make a mad dash to the nail shop to
get a mani/pedi for my performance on Saturday. Some belly dancers perform in
shoes, but most dance barefoot, so I had to make sure that my feet were
presentable since they were going to be on public display.

Let me preface this
by saying I don't like the neighborhood nail shops because I like the pampering
experience as opposed to the cattle call, but I had to work on Saturday before
heading out so I had to get in where I fit in. I found a nail shop close by the
job; it was empty. So, I thought I could get in and out and get home in time to
allow my sister to go out while I stayed with our mother. Easy-peasy. But I
should have known better because things are rarely easy with me.

While I was getting
my pedicure, it seemed like a bus load of people starting coming in. The
manicurist finished my pedicure, and started on my nails. In typical Stephanie
fashion, I messed up the polish on two of my nails when I bumped the fan trying
to dry the first coat. My manicurist
seemed new, and didn’t know how to fix it without starting over. She took the
polish off, and freshly painted the two nails and instructed me to let them
dry, and that she’d be back.

She started on this elderly woman's pedicure. I knew the manicuristI said in my mind, I know she is not going to
do this woman’s entire pedicure while I’m waiting for a second coat and top
coat on two nails? I had already paid and tipped!

was trying to multitask because the
shop was getting crowded, and the elderly woman had been waiting. So, I was
cool until I was still sitting there 10 minutes later.

I walked over to the manicurist and asked her about my
nails, and I happened to glance at the woman's feet and was horrified! She had
long, snarly, twisted nails that look like something out of a horror movie. I
reminded the manicurist that she still had to finish two nails. She asked me if
I could come back. I told her, no. My schedule already felt like too small body
shaper and I was in there on borrowed time, so when was I supposed to come
back?

As she sat down to
polish the two nails, I looked and noticed that she still had on the gloves she
had been using for the pedicure. When I brought it to her attention, she
immediately snatched the gloves off. I asked for something to wash my hands.
She sprayed them down with alcohol. I didn't even bother to wait for the nails
to dry, I left.

When I got to my sister's house, she had decided against
going out. She decided to go and get some Mexican food. I fell asleep on the
couch waiting for her to get back. It was past 8:00 p.m., so, my mother was
already in the bed for the night even though she decided that she wanted a
taco.

By the time my sister returned, and we had eaten, it was
after 10:00 pm. I had to work Saturday, so I decided to go home. We live within
one block of each other, so all I had to do was get in my car and drive down
the street.

I knew that I was going to be moving non-stop on Saturday,
so I needed some sleep. I went to bed and drifted off to sleep. It doesn’t take
long. Between fatigue from work and the crazy weather, the Sandman in my dreams
had all of my attention until I was awakened by noises around 1:00 am. My niece
does hair in the basement, and sometimes they just sit around and talk. So, I thought
it was her. Since I had to get up in the morning, I needed them to turn the
noise down. She was at home.

The house next door to me is empty, but teenagers had found
a way to get in at some point, so I thought maybe some kids are in the house
next door. I was too tired to call the police, I just prayed for sleep and my
prayers were answered—temporarily. As
soon as I got into a good sleep, the voices came back and they were accompanied
by footsteps. I listened to make sure that what I was hearing was real, and
that I wasn’t dreaming. The footsteps were clearly from above my head.

I was supposed to be home alone, so who was in the building
with me? My mother was at my sister’s. My nephew was at my sister’s. My niece
was in her own apartment across the street. I wasn’t dreaming. The sounds
coming out of the apartment were real! My heart started pounding in my chest. I
crept out of the bed to get my phone, and to make sure that the alarm was on. I
thought about pressing the panic button on my alarm. I decided to call the
police instead.

I dialed 911 and explained to them that I lived in a
two-flat, and that the upstairs apartment was currently vacant, but that I
could hear noises and footsteps. 9-1-1 operator asked me if the police could
get in the outside door, I told her no, that I would have to open it. She asked
if I wanted her to call me when the police arrived. I said. Yes. I sat in the
bed clutching to phone, heart beating fast, and imagination running wild. I
called my niece back and whispered in the phone, “Somebody’s upstairs. I called
the police. I need you to call them back because they haven’t come yet.”

“Maybe, it’s your nephew,” She said.

“No, I left him at his Granma’s house.”

I hang up and try calling him anyway. No answer.

Then I get a text alert. I’m sorry if I scared you t.t. It’s
me. I’m upstairs.

I called him and let him have it! Yes, I understood that he
was sorry, but it was a situation that could have gone all wrong : He was a 17
year-old walking the street at night; I was going to send the police into the
apartment not knowing that he was there.

Just as I hung up from him, the 9-1-1 operator was letting
me know that the police were at the door. They had exited their vehicle and
were searching the perimeter of my house. As the police officer emerged from
the back of my house to talk to me, I noticed that it was an extended family
member. My sister and her friend were married to brothers, and here was the son
of one of the brothers all grown up and following in his father’s footsteps
doing police work. Our families had been friends forever! I remember when his
mother was pregnant with him, and now he was serving and protecting. He gave me
a big hug and told me that he had to make sure that his people were ok. I went
back to bed, but I couldn’t go back to sleep. The adrenalin was pumping through
my body, so I had to wait for it to calm down knowing that I still head a full
day in front of me.

As it turns out, there was somebody in the apartment. But it
wasn’t a burglar; it was my night owl nephew. I shake off what could have been,
and I’m glad that my story has a happy ending. Since childhood, I have always believed
that strange things happen during a full moon. And, I am convinced that they
do! So, that was my Valentine’s Day Full Moon Tale.